Residents of Zeerust in the North West who recently staged a protest blocking key entrances to the town over ongoing water shortages, say they remain frustrated.

The demonstrations which lasted several days have since ended.

The residents say despite the presence of boreholes and reservoirs capable of supplying water to all residents, government continues to hire contractors to provide water, with no sustainable solution being implemented.

Community leader Pilot Mosothwane says government has spent exorbitant amounts of money on building boreholes.

“Modiri Molema will keep on making boreholes. Like in Supingstad, they made six boreholes of the R31 million. In Mokgola, Lekubu they made three boreholes at the value of R28 million and then in ward 11 here in Dinokana, they spent around R43 million for steel tanks and boreholes. So, they keep on spending too much money but those people staying there still don’t have water. So, this money that have been spending, what have they been spending it for?”

In November 2023, SABC News reported on the Water Supply Intervention Project that was launched by Senzo Mnhunu who was the Water and Sanitation Minister at the time.

Residents in Zeerust said that they hoped the project would bring much-needed relief.

The multi-million rand Dinokana Rural Water Supply project was intended to solve the water scarcity problems that have been plaguing the residents for years on end and led to numerous service delivery protests.

More details of the water intervention project in the report below: